Jersey Boys
by NoDaybutTooDay
Summary: IN PROGRESS. The sequel to Fragmented Pieces.
1. Big Man In Town

_Hello! This is the sequel to Fragmented Pieces. You need to read that one first or else this one won't make much sense. You can find the link on my profile. This story is a long time coming. When I first started thinking about writing a sequel, this wasn't even close to what I had planned. But I finally decided to go this route and I'm enjoying it. I think it's a good story and I'm hoping that you all think so, too! So, please read and review and updates should happen somewhat quickly (the story is entirely mapped out and the first three chapters have been written!) Thanks everyone!!!_

**Chapter One - Big Man In Town**

"Charles? It's Robert Chase." Chase said, speaking into the phone. He was sitting in an empty locker room, hoping that House didn't decide to come looking for him. He was late.

"Robert! How are you doing? I haven't heard from you in awhile." Came the jovial voice of Robert's old friend, the manager of the Gershwin Theater.

"Doing well, thanks. How are you?"

"Great! Never better. You still dating your boss?" he chuckled. Chase chuckled, too.

"Yep. That's actually why I'm calling. Our anniversary is coming up. I want to get tickets to Jersey Boys. I was hoping to call in another favor. It's sold out for the next two months." Chase told him.

"What date?" Charles asked. Chase felt himself melt a little in relief, he was really counting on this. Chase told him and Charles told him he'd call him back in a few minutes. Chase fidgeted, he was really late. Not that House would be angry, but he'd be curious and sometimes that was worse. Especially when he was planning an anniversary date.

Not even ten minutes later, his phone rang. "Okay, just show up and ask for Dave. You guys will sit in the manager's box." Charles told him.

"Thank you! Next time you need a physical or something, let me know and I'll do it for free. I owe you!" Chase gushed. Charles laughed again. They spoke for another minute, making plans to do lunch sometime soon.

Chase was pleased with himself. The Jersey Boys had been featured on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and House had commented that he'd like to see it. Chase didn't know that much about Frankie Valli and had made the mistake of admitting that to House. For nearly two months they listened to nothing other than the Four Seasons (the originals, of course).

They were good though. House did have good taste in music. He grabbed his bag and his jacket and hurried up to Diagnostics. "You're late." House said, without looking up when Chase entered the room. He was playing something on his game boy. Mario, by the sounds of it.

"I was on my way up, when I remembered a chart I hadn't finished." he lied smoothly. It was disturbing how good he was getting at lying to House. He leaned over and gave House a kiss.

"Paperwork is a lame excuse for being late." House told him. Chase knew he wasn't mad, he just liked to pick fights. It's who he was.

"I'll buy dinner tonight." Chase offered. He bought dinner every night, but it worked. House grinned and looked up. He grabbed his cane and pushed himself up.

"I want Thai." he said, brushing past him. Chase shook his head, suppressing a laugh. It was Friday. They always had Thai on Friday.

Once they were home and dinner was long gone, Chase brought it up. "Our anniversary is next week." he ventured, over a commercial during Spongebob.

"It's next Wednesday." House clarified. Chase hid a smile. House could be a bastard, but he also could be the greatest man in the world. At least in Chase's world.

"Yeah. I was thinking...maybe we could go out for a nice dinner. In the city." he said, preparing himself for whatever his reaction might be.

"I already cleared the day with Cuddy." he said. Chase couldn't hide the smile that spread across his face. He leaned over and kissed him.

"I love you, you know that?" Chase said, pleased with him.

House feigned innocence. "Nope." He turned to face Chase, leaning in very close. "You better show me how much..." he emphasized the word by grabbing Chase's crotch and making him gasp. "...you love me."

House leaned in as if to kiss him, but kept back. Chase could feel his breath on his face and tried to wait for House to close the gap. But he didn't close it fast enough and Chase leaned in, sealing their lips together. House got up first and pulled Chase by his tie in to the bedroom.

* * *

Chase and House slept in the next day. They both had weekends off, even though this weekend Chase was on-call. On Saturdays, House and Chase went to see Rosie. She was doing well in the home. The home she was in had private teachers and Rosie was learning how to read, write, and do math.

Usually, they stayed in and played with her, read to her, and Chase would go get a special lunch and they would all eat together. Today, however, they were planning on taking her out. Chase had seen a store called Build-A-Bear and wanted to take her.

Chase rolled over lazily, the sun warming him, and opened his eyes. House wasn't there and Chase groaned, disappointed. He had wanted to snuggle with the older man before getting out of bed. He sat up and smelled coffee, so he got out of bed and headed to the kitchen.

House was sitting at the table, sipping coffee, eating a pop-tart, and reading the paper. Chase's coffee cup was sitting next to the pot and the bagels had been taken out of the fridge. Chase kissed the top of House's forehead, poured himself some coffee and started fixing a bagel. Then he sat down at the table, too.

It took them awhile to get going, they showered together and got dressed, finally heading out the door about 10 a.m. They arrived at the home and the secretary greeted them cheerfully. "Dr. Chase! Dr. House! Rosie's in the playroom waiting for you. She hasn't been able to sit still all morning." she told them as Chase signed them in.

"We're going to take her out today, Kelly. Where do I sign her out?" Chase asked. Kelly pulled out a sign out sheet and handed it to him. Chase thanked her and filled everything out.

"Where are you guys taking her?" she asked.

"Build A Bear and lunch." House replied. Kelly beamed.

"She is one lucky little girl to have you two. She'll have a blast. I've taken my own kids a couple of times and they love it there!" she said, taking back the sheet and checking to make sure everything was filled out properly. When she was done, she looked up, smiled, and wished them fun today.

They headed into the playroom and immediately Rosie flew to them. "Robbie! Greg!" she cried, throwing herself into Chase's arms and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and kissed her. He was so glad that they had moved her here.

"Hi Rose! How are you? Were you a good girl this week?" Chase asked her, setting her back on the ground. She moved over to House and he leaned down to hug her. She was much gentler than she was with Chase, she worried about him.

Rosie nodded vigorously to the question Robert had asked her. "I read a whole book by myself!" she proclaimed proudly.

"That's wonderful!" Chase praised her and House patted her on the head. "Would you like to go out today?" he asked her.

Her eyes lit up. "Really?" she said. She ran to her room to get her sweater and Chase followed her, leaving House standing there. They were back quickly. Chase picked up Rosie, carrying her on his hip and they were off. Chase drove them all to the mall and parked in a handicapped space.

Rosie was so excited she was literally bouncing up and down. When they got inside the mall, he knelt down to her level. "Rosie, I know you're excited, but you have to slow down. I promise we'll get there, but Greg doesn't go that fast, okay?" She ducked her head.

"I'm sorry Greg." she apologized.

"It's okay. What do you say you and I make our own teddy bears?" House said, reaching for her hand with the one not occupied by a cane. She grinned and took his hand and they walked slowly through the mall.

When they arrived at the store, Rosie's eyes became wide. She stood outside the door, staring, and both House and Chase chuckled. House gently tugged on her hand and led her into the store. A smiling girl approached them. "Hello! Welcome to Build-A-Bear! Have you ever been here before?" she addressed all three of them, finally settling her gaze on Rosie.

Rosie shook her head and shrank back behind House. She was a little shy in public. Chase placed his hands on her back and led her back out. He left his hands on her shoulders in support of her. The girl smiled patiently at the little girl.

"Well, here's what you're going to do." She smiled, undeterred by the shy child. She quickly explained the process, pointing out the stations along the way. "Does that sound like fun?" she asked. Rosie kept quiet, looking down at her feet.

"I think it does." House said, heading to the wall of stuffed animals. He began walking down the row, looking at all the animals. Cautiously, Rosie followed him. She trusted him as much as she trusted her brother. Rosie stepped forward quickly, grabbing on to his hands, looking but not picking out anything. House picked up a scruffy looking dog and made kissing noises at Rosie, making her giggle.

Soon, she saw a stuffed bunny and picked it up. She turned to Chase, "I like this one." she said quietly.

"Good choice!" Chase praised her and she beamed, hugging the un-stuffed bunny close to her chest.

"I'm going to get the dog." House decided. He handed her the animal. "Will you carry it for me?" he asked her. She nodded and took the animal and then she turned to her brother.

"Robbie, which one are you going to get?" she asked. Chase had seen her gaze lingering on a teddy bear. He reached for it and when he saw her smile, he knew he had made the right choice.

They went over to where another girl was sitting, stuffing a panda for a little boy. They waited and when it came their turn, Rosie was asked to step on the pedal. She became a little frightened and Chase showed her quickly and then she was okay, as long as both men were close.

The girl stuffing the animals chatted pleasantly with them. She tried her hardest to coax conversation out of Rosie, but having been so sheltered her whole life, she was painfully shy. The girl looked up to Chase and smiled sincerely. "I'm guessing that you're Daddy? She looks just like you."

"Actually, I'm her brother." The girl's gaze moved to House, but before she could put her foot in her mouth and anger House, Chase jumped in. "And this is my partner."

Her smiled never wavered. "Well, that's very kind of both of you to bring her here." She turned to Rosie again. "Is this your first time here?" she asked. This time, Rosie nodded.

"I used to live in 'Stralia, but then Robbie took me here." she said. House and Chase exchanged a look. She rarely spoke when spoken to, this was a good sign.

"Australia!" The girl said. "Wow! Do you like it here?" she asked.

"Mmm-hmm. I get to be with Robbie and Greg." she said. The girl smiled kindly at her.

"You've got a pretty cool big brother." The girl agreed, smiling at Chase. He smiled back at her. Once all three animals had been stuffed and their hearts put in, they moved on. They let Rosie give each animal a 'bath' and let her pick out a couple of outfits. They named all three animals, Chase paid for them, and they headed out. They continued on through the mall and went to a restaurant that had a fifties theme.

When they took Rosie back, she got teary. She always got teary when they left her, the guys were getting used to it by now. Chase asked her to keep his bear with her for him and she agreed, hugging the bear tightly. She hugged her brother and House and they bid her goodbye and headed out.


	2. Oh, What A Night

The next few days passed uneventfully. Chase told House that he made dinner reservations in

city, at one of their favorite restaurants. For Chase, the days passed torturously slow. He hated keeping secrets from House, even if he knew that it would be for the best. It wasn't like it was a bad secret, just a surprise secret. He still hated it. Finally, Wednesday afternoon, they left.

Chase drove and they talked some and listened to the radio. Chase parked in the parking garage that House remembered well and they walked the few blocks to the restaurant. Dinner was fantastic and they both had a great time. House even paid.

Their lives had settled into a routine, which was nice, but the change was doing them both some good. They talked, really talked, about how House was liking his new team, how Chase liked the ICU, about Rosie and the progress she was making.

Even after a year, Chase marveled at the difference between the House he had met and the man he was in love with. They were two different people. Under the table, House rested his hand on Chase's knee.

When Chase laughed at a corny joke, House smiled a smile reserved only for him. It filled Chase with pride that this wonderful, amazing man was his. They accepted each other through all of their faults.

They finished dinner and Chase asked if House minded a little walking. House knew how much Chase loved the city, so he agreed. Hand in hand, they walked slowly down the bustling streets of New York City. No one spared them a second glance. Sometimes, it was just nice to get away from everyone who knew them. It seemed as if they couldn't go anywhere in Princeton without someone knowing one or both of them.

Chase kept his eyes on the streets, knowing that he knew New York better than House. House wouldn't really have any idea where they were going, even if he was paying attention to something other than Chase's eyes and his ass. As they approached the theater, Chase stopped and turned to face House. "Okay, I have a confession." he admitted.

"Uh oh." House said in a joking manner. He knew that Chase wouldn't reveal something disastrous in the middle of a crowded sidewalk. He was far too private for that. He knew it must be something to do with their anniversary.

"I called in another favor from Charles. Do you want to go see 'Jersey Boys'?" he asked. He managed to keep his face neutral, even when House lit up and he leaned in and kissed him deeply, though nothing made him happier than his boyfriend's happiness. "Cause if you don't want to, we can always just go home." he said, yelping when House smacked his behind.

"You sneak! I'm so proud." He said, wiping away a fake tear. Chase smiled brightly.

"C'mon." Chase said, heading towards the box office. He stepped up to the window and smiled at the bored looking attendant. "Hello. My name is Robert Chase, I was told to ask for Dave." he said. The attendant nodded and picked up his phone.

"You know the manager of this theater, too?" asked House. They stepped to the side to let the next person in line have their turn.

"Of course not. I called Charles and asked for another favor." Chase smiled smugly.

Just then, a tall, balding man in a nice suit came to the door, unlocked it, and motioned them in. "Hi! I'm Dave Eblin. Welcome to the August Wilson Theater. Any friend of Charles is a friend of mine." He looked at Chase. "You must be Robert Chase." They shook hands and then he looked at House. "And you must be Gregory House."

"I must be." House agreed. Dave chuckled.

"I've heard a lot about you. I had a friend get real sick and they sent her to you." he said. House gave him a half smile.

"Well, whatever you've heard, it's probably all true." Dave laughed out loud this time and he led them to an elevator. He personally escorted them to the manager's box. Both House and Chase were shocked to find a bottle of champagne chilling, two glasses and a box of chocolates. "Charles told me it was your anniversary and so we thought we'd surprise you. The chocolates are from him, I believe that there is a note on them.

Dave told them to please enjoy themselves and if they needed anything, there would be an usher waiting outside their door to help them. Chase picked up the note from the chocolate box and read it quickly. _Thought you guys might like some chocolate. Happy anniversary and enjoy the show! Charles._ Chase laughed and showed House the note.

The show was fantastic and the seats were amazing. Chase thanked Dave and made a mental note to call Charles tomorrow. He figured he'd probably be...a little busy tonight. Chase had rented a hotel room, so they wouldn't have to make a long drive back at night. Besides that, Chase knew that a day of driving, sitting at a restaurant, and sitting for a show would have House antsy and an antsy House was not a fun House to drive with.

They headed out of the theater and back to the lot their car was in. Chase drove them to the hotel and parked, grabbing the bag he had stashed in the trunk. He grinned at House, who was surprised to say the least. House sat in a chair while Chase checked them in and then came and got him, heading towards the elevator.

Chase had to keep swatting House's hands off his butt as they rode the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. "Stop." he muttered, unforcefully. They were not the only patrons in the elevator and they were getting dirty looks from the older couple that was in there with them. House leaned in and nibbled on his ear.

"Is that what you really want?" House's voice was barely above a whisper and Chase's breath caught in his throat.

"Um..." he wasn't able to speak, all the blood had rushed from his head to another part of his body. The man in the elevator cleared his throat and soon the doors opened and they stepped off.

"That's what I thought." House smirked and backed away as they continued to their floor. When they got off on their floor, all Chase could think about was House. He could barely get the door open before their mouths were locked and clothes were being shed.

* * *

Chase was pleasantly tired and sore as he woke the next morning. His head was on House's chest and House's fingers were running idly through his hair. Chase smiled to himself. "Ugh, I don't want to go back." he complained.

"Let's stay here." House suggested. Chase laughed lightly.

"I wish. We have to be back by tomorrow." Chase turned his head up and kissed House lightly. They laid there for a few more minutes, enjoying the sunlight streaming in and just being with each other. Finally, they got up, got dressed and headed out. Chase checked them out as House carried the lone bag out to the car.

Chase drove and they headed out of the city and back to New Jersey. House unwrapped the soundtrack that he had bought the night before at the show. House knew every word to every song and sang along. Chase loved listening to him sing, he had a great voice, though he rarely sang. Chase knew a couple of the songs but mostly listened.

Chase turned to look at House, to talk to him. He had just barely opened his mouth when horns blared, House yelled, and Chase turned to see a semi truck, spinning out of control and launching right at him. He slammed on the brakes, knowing it was useless and finally, just throwing up his hands as the two cars collided. And then his whole world went black.

* * *

AN: *ducks* Please don't kill me!!


	3. Fallen Angel

Wow, if I had known all it took to get reviews was a cliffhanger...lol I'm just kidding. First of all, thank you all so much for the reviews, I love reading them and I try and respond to all of them that I can. I guess I can tell you now that this won't be fluff, there's going to be a LOT of drama and a LOT of angst. But hang on, because I swear, it'll all be worth it. Before y'all panic too much, no one will die. I don't like death!fic so this won't be one. Please keep reading and reviewing....and please, please don't kill me!!!!!!!!

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep._ The insistent beeping was the first thing that Chase became aware of. He felt as if he were floating. He wasn't quite conscious, but he wasn't unconscious either. He was vaguely aware that something was wrong, that something had happened, but his brain couldn't quite piece it together.

Then the pain started. It was a slow blaze that fired up quickly. It felt like his whole body was on fire. He tried to scream, but was unable to do so. Then he heard voices talking quietly. "His blood pressure is rising." He knew that voice, but couldn't place it. He just wanted the scorching fire to stop.

"Push more morphine." Came another voice. That one was familiar, too.

"We can't...we're going to-" The first voice was cut off by an angry growl from the second one.

"Just push the damn morphine! He's in pain, that's why the BP is rising." There was a little scuffle sound and suddenly, relief flooded through him. He slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Chase was aware that time had passed when he came back to awareness. The fire wasn't there like it was the last time, but he was aware of an aching throughout his body. As he tried to assess what had happened, it all came back to him. The semi, the car, the collision...House! Where was House? Was he okay? He had to find him so he pried his eyes open was immediately aware that he was in the ICU.

Seconds after his eyes opened, House was in his line of vision. Chase felt a deep sense of relief. House had cuts and scratches on his face, but he seemed generally okay. He was there at least, so that was a good thing. He tried to ask what happened, but quickly realized that talking was impossible. He had a tube down his throat.

His eyes felt swollen and he looked up at House, hoping that he would know what he was asking. House did, House always knew. The relief in House's eyes was evident. "Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty." Chase's eyes just bore into House's. He needed to know what happened. "We were in a car accident. Do you remember that?" Chase nodded, barely. The movement caused his aches to intensify. "You're in the ICU...you've been out for two weeks."

Two weeks? No wonder House looked so relieved. "I'm glad to see your eyes, but you need to go back to sleep and get stronger, okay?" Chase wanted to shake his head no, wanted to stay awake. He wanted to know how bad the damage was, if he had been out for two weeks, it must have been bad. But House pushed the magic button which made his body start floating again and within seconds he was out.

* * *

House watched his eyes drift shut, fighting the medicine that he was helpless against. It was so good to see those beautiful blue green eyes, he hadn't been completely sure that he would ever see them again. Now he was dreading him waking up again because then he would have to tell him everything that had happened.

House sighed deeply, shifting on the uncomfortable chair when there was a knock at the door and he looked up to see Cuddy standing there. "He woke up." House said and Cuddy's eyes went wide.

"How was he?" she asked.

"Confused. I pushed his morphine pump and put him back out." he said, looking back down at his unconscious lover.

Cuddy's voice was cautious as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "You're going to have to tell him eventually." Both their eyes settled on the space where his legs should have been. The legs House had to authorize the amputation of. He felt sick every time he saw it.

"I want him to be at least a little more with it before I tell him. I don't want it to make him worse." he said, in a hollow voice.

"You did the only thing you could do, House. You didn't have a choice and we both know that. He would have died." House shrugged off her hand and continued to stare at Chase. She sighed and headed out to spread the word that Chase was out of the woods.

It was much later in the night when Chase finally came to again. He opened his eyes, turned his head and saw House sitting there. Chase raised his hand to touch the tube in his throat. House knew what he was asking. "Yeah, we can pull the tube." House told him. He got up and gently removed the tube, causing Chase to cough violently. Once it was out, House handed him a glass of water, which he sipped gratefully. "Sore?" House asked, as he winced.

"Yeah." he rasped out, trying out his voice.

"Milk might help, it's a little easier to swallow after a tube." House pressed the call button and a kind looking nurse poked her head in. "Can we get some milk?" House asked. She nodded and left, returning quickly with a small carton of milk, a glass, and a straw.

House took it and poured the milk into the glass and held the straw up to Chase's lips. Chase sipped it and then smiled at House. He was right, the milk felt good and he let the straw go and smiled up at House. "Thanks." he rasped. "How are you?" he asked.

House let his head drop a little. "I'm fine, much better than you. I can't believe your first question was about me and not about you." He felt horribly guilty.

"I...I'm so sorry, Greg. I don't know what happened, that semi came out of nowhere. There...there was nothing I could do." He choked. House grabbed his hand.

"I know. The driver of the semi was drunk and on drugs. He's in jail and can't even get bail. It was a second offense." Chase felt a prick of anger. "But, Robert...you aren't so fine. I have something to tell you and...it's not good news." he managed. This was harder than he thought it was going to be.

Chase just looked at him patiently, trusting him. "I was okay, you managed to swerve the car far enough that I didn't get almost any of the impact. But you, you got a lot of it. You got most of it. There was extensive damage and they told me you weren't going to make it. But you know me, I don't accept that answer and I insisted that you be transferred back here, to PPTH." House took a breath. "The damage to your legs was much worse than the idiots at the Emergency Care Center we were first at even thought. Robert, we had to amputate." He finally said.

Chase felt his heart stop then start thudding wildly. He noticed the beeping of the monitors picked up as he raised his head and looked down. There was nothing were his legs should have been. "Amputate?" he choked out. "B-Both my legs are...gone?"

"There wasn't a choice." House defended. "It was your legs or you."

Chase looked up, the look of betrayal on his face. "YOU made the call? YOU told them to amputate my legs? You're House, for God's sake! How could you? How could you not look for another answer? How could you just accept a diagnosis? How could you do that to me?" He sobbed, his hands reaching for the limbs that were no longer there. It was as if he had to feel it for himself.

"Robert..." House began, trying to placate him.

"Get out!" He screamed. "OUT!" The nurse who had brought the milk came rushing in then with a needle filled with a sedative. She stuck it into his IV line and House left, watching him succumb to the medicine.

House left the ICU and headed down to Wilson's office. He entered without knocking and was glad to see Wilson was alone. "He woke up." House said.

"Cuddy told me. She also told me that you didn't tell him." Wilson sounded slightly disappointed.

"He woke up again. I told him this time." House said, his voice tired and dejected. "He flipped out, screamed at me to get out and finally they gave him a sedative."

Wilson moved across the room, sitting down next to his friend. "It's just shock. He'll calm down." Wilson reassured him.

"You didn't hear him, he's livid. Not that I blame him." House said. Wilson wasn't really sure what to tell him.

"Just make sure that you're there when he wakes up. Whether or not he's mad at you, he's going to need you there." Wilson paused. "Have you called Rosie?" he asked.

House hadn't planned on telling Rosie about the accident, but by the second week, when he had missed the first visit since she had been there and hadn't called her in days (he usually called her every single day) he finally had to cave and tell her. She had handled it well, she knew that he was hurt and he was sleeping. She also knew about his legs. It had been one of the very few times he had left Chase, to go over and talk to her about what was happening.

House had also talked to the center about what would happen to Rosie if Chase didn't make it. He was told that guardianship would pass to him, which was a shock. He didn't know that Chase had done that. "No." House answered. "I haven't told her yet."

Wilson handed him his cell phone. "Call her now." House nodded and dialed the phone number to the home that Rosie was in. Kelly answered, put him on hold, and then got the little girl to talk on the phone.

"Hello?" she said, her soft accent making his heart hurt.

"Hi Rosie, it's Greg." he said.

"Robbie?" she asked, fear making her voice tremble.

"Robbie is okay. He woke up." House assured her.

"Can I see Robbie?" she asked him. House sighed.

"Not yet. But soon, okay Rose? I'll come by and see you tomorrow." He promised her. She told him that she loved him and to give Robbie a hug for her and he promised. Then they hung up and House handed Wilson back his phone. "Maybe I didn't make the right call." House finally said, after a long silence.

"Don't start that again. You know that there wasn't a choice." Wilson told him, firmly.

"He's right, though. I'm the doctor that looks for every option, I don't just settle. Maybe I just made the call because I..." he trailed off, unable to say what he was thinking. Maybe he made the call because he was afraid of losing him and it was the safest way.

"There wasn't another option to look at. It was amputation or death. Chase will come to see that, he's just in shock right now." House nodded, so tired he couldn't even argue. He would check to see how much medicine the nurse had given him to see how much time he had before Chase woke up again.


	4. Rag Doll

_Hey guys! I'm sorry this took so long. We lost our internet for a while, but updates should start happening again soon! As always, I love getting reviews. This chapter is kind of short, but I hope you like it anyway!!_

* * *

House checked with the nurse and found out that Chase had been given enough medicine to let him sleep peacefully through the night. House took a shower in the locker room, changed and headed back to Chase's bedside. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the empty space where Chase's legs should be. It wasn't fair, he had his whole life ahead of him and now it was ruined. It was ruined because of him. Any way you looked at it, it was his fault.

The next morning, House was woken by the sound of Chase's voice. "Greg?" he asked, quietly, clearly still tired. House snapped out of his doze immediately and moved so he was in front of Chase.

"I'm here." he said. Chase sighed.

"My legs are gone." he said, his voice cracking. House grabbed his hand.

"I know. I'm so, so sorry." House said.

"They still feel like they hurt." he said.

"It's called phantom pain." House explained, knowing that Chase already knew that. Chase nodded, his angry tirade from the day before seeming to have vanished.

"Tell me exactly what happened." He finally said. House sighed deeply, he didn't particularly want to relive the experience, but he knew that Chase needed to know and hear this. Chase watched House as his eyes got a faraway look and he began to speak.

"The semi driver was drunk and fell asleep at the wheel. The truck went sideways and came at us. You tried to break, but it was too late, there was nothing you could do. You swerved and the drivers side hit the truck. The engine folded into the car and pinned you, you were unconscious in seconds. I was a little banged up, but I was fine. In seconds, someone was at the window telling me they had called 911.

"It took them almost three hours to get you out. Your legs...Robert, I've never seen anything like it before in my life. They told me you wouldn't make it, they told me nothing could be done. They got us both to a local hospital and they told me to say my goodbyes. I told them no and demanded to have you transferred here. I got on the phone with Cuddy and she authorized it. We had you airlifted here. It was the longest flight ever, we almost lost you several times." House paused, collecting himself.

"When they got you here, Matthews said he might be able to save you if he amputated both legs. You were losing so much blood and there wouldn't have been anyway to save the legs, even if there wasn't a choice between your legs and you. Matthews told us that there wasn't a good chance you would make it."

There was a very long pause and both were quiet. "It was really that bad?" Chase asked, after a long moment. House finally looked up at him and Chase had never seen more pain in his eyes.

"It was worse." House said. Chase turned away, trying to keep his breathing even so as not to spike the monitors. They were both quiet for a long time as Chase let the information sink in.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Greg. You did to me exactly what Stacy did to you. How can you expect or even think that I could forgive you for this? What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to live? I...I..." he cut off, turned away as heat flooded his cheeks. "Please, go away." He finally said.

"Robert, please, just talk to me. I know how you're feeling-" But that did it, Chase snapped then.

"That's my point! If I could leave, I would, but I can't. So I need you to get out and I need you to get out now." Chase paused. "Please." he said. House nodded and got up. As he reached the door, he turned back to look at Chase, who was now facing the window, and then turned and left.

He headed back towards his own office. He had been planning on going to Wilson's, but when he got there, he noticed that Wilson was having a consult with a patient...who had only one arm. He couldn't quite manage to barge in there, so he went to his own office. He was relieved to find it empty and he sank down into his comfortable desk chair.

He moved to start up the computer, when he glanced at the phone and impulsively grabbed for it. He dialed the number that he would never admit that he still had memorized and only waited three rings to hear that voice.

"Hello?" Came the voice of Stacy Warner.

"Stacy. It's Greg." he said. There was a pause and he knew he needed to explain why he was calling out of the blue. "Look, I didn't know who else to call..." he trailed off.

"It's okay. Both James and Lisa have already called me. I've been waiting to hear from you." she said. A flash of anger burst through him.

"I shouldn't have called." he said.

"No, I didn't mean it like that." she amended. "I think I'm probably the best person for you to talk to right now."

"How's Mark?" House asked. Stacy smiled to herself, same old Greg. Always trying to divert the attention away from himself.

"Mark's fine. How's Chase?" she asked, hesitantly. The last she had heard, he was holding his own, but he still wasn't awake. She assumed that if he was calling, he had woken up.

"He's awake...and furious." House confessed. Stacy wasn't too shocked. She knew what had happened, she knew that there hadn't been a choice, but she also knew firsthand how hard it was to make that decision. She also knew that the Chase would feel betrayed and she would need to blame someone.

"Have you explained to him that there wasn't a choice?" she asked, knowing it was a dumb question.

"I've tried to. He's too angry to listen. He thinks it's the same thing as what happened to me." he deliberately worded it like this. For the first time since the infarction, he wasn't angry about what Stacy did. But it still wasn't the same thing. He could have made it, Chase wouldn't have.

"It's not the same thing." she paused. "What I did was wrong. I went against explicit wishes and did what I thought was right." There was silence on both ends of the phone.

"He doesn't see it that way." House finally said.

"Why don't you show him?" Stacy finally said. "Show him the surgeon's report, show him the ER report. Show him the pictures they took. Maybe if he sees it, he'll understand."

House thought about that for a moment. He thought about what Chase's legs had looked like as they tried to extract him from the crushed vehicle. The engine had been pushed into the car, into where his legs were. His legs had pieces missing, there was metal through them and they had been burned beyond any recognition. House had seen a lot of graphic things over the years, but this had actually sickened him, to the point where he had to look away. He'd never had to look away before.

He wasn't the only one affected by the sight. One of the paramedics actually had to leave so he could vomit. It was lucky that he was unconscious because the pain of getting him out of that mess would have been beyond any pain imaginable. Most of the skin of his legs was left burned inside the car, it just pulled away as they tried to get him out. He didn't want Chase to see that, because of course pictures had been taken for reports.

However, maybe he could show him the emergency report and the surgeon's report. "I'll think about it." He finally said to Stacy. "Thanks." he said.

"Go, be with him." she encouraged. They said their goodbyes and hung up. When he turned his chair around (he had been facing the window) he saw Wilson standing there.

"What did she say?" Wilson asked.

"She said to show him the reports." House replied. Wilson raised his eyebrows.

"I would wait until he was at least stable. Seeing those is going to be a big shock and his system might not be able to handle it." House glared at him.

"What else am I supposed to do?" he asked, frustrated. "He won't listen to me, he won't talk to me. He thinks there was a choice. He thinks that I did to him what Stacy did to me."

"Why don't you let me talk to him first, before you bring out the reports. Or Cuddy, she'd be willing to talk to him."

"I don't know what to do." House said after a long pause. "I don't know what the right thing to do is." It was the first time in his entire life that House had ever said those words.


	5. Cry For Me

1House decided to take Wilson up on his offer and let him go see Chase. He stayed in his office, playing with his ball and wondered what was going on in the ICU. As Wilson left House alone and walked upstairs, he began to doubt that this was a good idea. He and Chase weren't particularly close and he knew that he would just think that House had sent him. But he was good at talking to people, so it was worth a shot.

He entered ICU, took a deep breath and headed to Chase's room. When he stepped in the room, Chase's eyes were closed, but he could tell by the way he was breathing that he was not asleep. He cleared his throat gently and Chase's eyes opened and moved to him. Upon seeing him, Chase rolled his eyes. "House sent you to come talk some sense into me? Typical." he muttered.

"No, House didn't send me. He told me what happened and I thought I'd come see you for myself." Wilson replied, keeping his voice even and gentle. It was his 'you're dying' voice.

"Come to see what shattered dreams look like?" he shot. Wilson smiled sadly.

"I'm an oncologist, Chase, it's what I see every day." Chase winced, he had forgotten.

"Okay, so it's a 'your life could be worse, you should be grateful' type deal?" he asked. Wilson moved forward and sat down on the chair that House had occupied for the better part of two weeks.

"No. You got a rotten deal and I would never make light of that. You have every right to be bitter and angry and hurt." Wilson paused as Chase processed that. "I just think that maybe you're taking it out on the wrong person." he said and Chase scoffed. "You don't know what it was like. I've never seen him like that in my whole life. He fought tooth and nail to save you and to save your legs. There was not a choice." he said firmly.

"He's House!" Chase argued. "There's always a choice, there's always three different answers to every problem. I worked with him for four years, he doesn't do what everyone tells him to do."

"He didn't this time either. They told him to pull the plug. They told him to say goodbye and to contact your family. They told him that even if they amputated your legs, you would not survive. He wouldn't listen. He sat there pouring over every single option that he had. Unfortunately, there weren't many. In fact, there were only two. Let you die or take your legs." Wilson stopped, trying not to get angry. "He moved from your side only once since you've been in ICU. He watched your entire surgery, even though they told him he needed to be resting."

Chase blinked. "But..." he tried to argue.

"Do you know where he was just now? After he left you?" Wilson asked.

"I assume he was with you."

"You assume wrong. He called Stacy, to ask her what to do. He's never been able to forgive Stacy for what happened, but this situation is different. House wouldn't have died without that surgery, you would have. Right now, he's debating showing you the pictures and the reports of the accident. For your sake, let's hope he decides against it."

"What does that mean?" Chase asked.

"It was gruesome, Chase, and I don't use that word lightly. I've seen people with their faces eaten away by cancer and what I saw on you was the worst thing I have ever seen in my life. All I'm asking is that you think about what it was like for him. He _loves_ you, more than he's ever loved anybody. Just think about how you would feel if you had to make a choice between his life and his legs, even when you knew that the only choice would result in him hating you."

"I don't hate him." Chase choked. "I just don't know how he could make the decision he hates Stacy for."

"He didn't, it wasn't the same thing. Maybe you should see those reports." Wilson said, turning and leaving Chase alone to think about what he had just been told. Wilson had barely made it out of the room, when Chase called after him.

"Wilson!" He turned around and walked back in, looking at him questioningly. "Will...will you send House back?" he asked. Wilson nodded and moved to leave, before changing his mind and heading back to Chase's side.

"I know that you're angry and you're scared as hell, but if you let him, House could be the best person for you right now. He may not know exactly what you're going through, but he knows enough. Plus, he loves you so much. Don't push him away, don't make the mistake he made with Stacy. Love each other and you'll get through this. We're all pulling for you, Chase." Chase sank back against the pillows.

"Thanks." he muttered. Chase laid there contemplating what Wilson had told him. He wondered if he was right, if he needed to blame someone and he had just chosen House. He should be blaming the other driver, but in truth, he hadn't really even crossed his mind. It wasn't House's fault that they'd been in the accident. He was the one driving and the truck driver was drunk.

He closed his eyes, images of the accident coming to him for the first time. House had yelled just as the horns blared. He had turned the car so they were going sideways. Chase knew they were going to crash and all he could think was 'not House'. He couldn't live without the other man so he had swerved the car so he got the majority of the impact. He remembered sharp, shooting pain in his legs and then passing out.

Wilson was right, he was blaming House because he was a coward. He was trying to push him away before House left. Before he could think of anything else, he heard the squeak of the cane announcing House's approach. He took a deep breath and steeled himself.

House came around the corner and peaked in, ready to make a quick exit if Chase started screaming again. But his eyes were calm and so he stepped all the way in. "Am I welcome?" House asked, gruffly. Chase was immediately ashamed of himself. Against his will, he felt his eyes fill with tears and he looked down at his hands.

"Greg, I..." he tried. His throat closed up and he had to take a breath. "I'm sorry." He waited for a response and when he didn't get one, he finally looked up and saw him, standing exactly where he had been, his face not even changed. "Please, come here." he begged.

House moved slowly across the room, still unsure what would happen. When he was close enough, Chase reached out and grabbed at his hand. "Greg, I'm so scared and I...I don't know what to do." he admitted.

House sat down then, pulling Chase gently into his arms. He went easily, letting Greg hold him tight against his chest. "Why?" he cried, finally allowing himself to sob. "Why?"

"I don't know." House said, holding him as tight as he could.


End file.
